A few minutes after victory Sunday, Kyle Orton called the opponent cheap, particularly Cortland Finnegan.

After sleeping on it, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels came out in support of his quarterback Monday, implying the Tennessee Titans' occasional contemptible play is a reflection of their coach, Jeff Fisher.

"I was proud of our team because we knew that was the kind of game it was going to be," McDaniels said. "You can put any tape you want to of Tennessee and there's going to be 10 penalties. You either coach it or you allow it to happen. That's how I look at that.

"Our guys did a great job of keeping their poise and composure and not getting drawn into a big unsportsmanlike game because I know that's what they were trying to entice us into doing."

The Broncos' 26-20 victory at Tennessee was aided in part by the Titans drawing 10 penalties for 111 yards. It followed a trend. In the Fisher era, which extends all the way back to 1995 and the Houston Oilers, his franchise has been the fifth-most penalized team. The Raiders, of course, rank first.

This year, Tennessee has had an NFL-high eight defensive players draw personal-foul penalties for an NFL-most 10 defensive personal-foul penalties.

Finnegan, an ex-safety who's now a Pro Bowl cornerback, leads the Titans with two personal fouls and drew Orton's ire for sucker-punching Chris Kuper after the Denver guard had his helmet stripped off.

"If that's the type of player Cortland Finnegan wants to be, well then he's a cheap player, not a good player," Orton said.

About the Titans in general, Orton said: "You always hear about how tough they are and all that stuff. I don't think they're tough. I think they're cheap."

Fisher was asked Monday about Orton's comments.

"We play aggressive. We don't play cheap," Fisher said. "If there's things after the whistle during the play, players are fined for them. But we're not a cheap football team. I don't know what he's referring to.

"We did have six sacks . . . and numerous other times they did have some difficulty with protection and blocking our defensive line. Maybe he's referring to that."

McDaniels usually doesn't like his players to deliver comments that produce headlines. But the coach had Orton's back.

"After watching the film, I think they're accurate," McDaniels said. "There's a way to play tough and physical without being excessive and playing dirty after the snap. There's a lot of teams in this league that play like that. Tough and physical, but also within the rules."